On August 31, 2025, disaster struck the remote mountain village of Tarasin in Sudan’s Darfur region. In the early morning hours, following days of relentless rainfall, a massive landslide thundered down the slopes of the Marrah Mountains, burying the entire community beneath tons of mud and rock. By all accounts, the tragedy ranks among the deadliest natural disasters in Sudan’s history, with officials and aid groups estimating that more than 1,000 people may have perished.
Rescue and recovery efforts began almost immediately, but the challenges were immense. The Marrah Mountains, a volcanic range whose peaks soar above 3,000 meters (9,840 feet), are known for their rough terrain and isolation. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the region is more than 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, making it extremely difficult for outside aid to reach the devastated area. Local volunteers, members of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army (SLM), and community leaders were left to lead the search for survivors and the grim task of recovering bodies.
As of early September, Sudanese authorities and local aid workers had recovered and buried at least 370 to 375 bodies. "We recovered 370 bodies and buried them. Others are still trapped under the rocks and some were carried away by floodwaters," Ibrahim Suleiman, a head of the civilian administration in Daramo locality, told AFP. Mujib al-Rahman al-Zubair, head of the Civil Authority in the Liberated Territories, echoed this in a video address shared with the Associated Press, saying, "May the victims of this devastating incident receive mercy." Despite their efforts, many more remain missing, and the true scale of the disaster may never be fully known.
Mohamed Abdel-Rahman al-Nair, a spokesperson for the SLM, described the aftermath as a “catastrophic humanitarian situation” requiring urgent international intervention. The SLM, which controls the area around Jebel Marra, has called on the United Nations and global relief organizations to provide food, shelter, and medical aid to the survivors, many of whom have lost everything.
Eyewitness accounts paint a picture of total devastation. “The village and its people disappeared,” local farmer Al-Amin Abdallah Abbas told the Associated Press. “It’s an unprecedented tragedy.” Footage released by the SLM shows residents and rescuers praying at makeshift burial sites and digging through thick mud and rubble with shovels and bare hands, desperate to recover the remains of loved ones.
The landslide has compounded trauma for families already battered by years of conflict and displacement. Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a brutal civil war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The fighting has killed more than 40,000 people and forced as many as 12 million to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. Famine and disease, including a cholera outbreak, now threaten hundreds of thousands, particularly in Darfur and southern Sudan.
Bishop Hiiboro, who began his Episcopal Ministry in June 2008, spoke to ACI Africa about the disaster’s far-reaching effects. “For the families, the pain is unbearable. Many had already lost everything due to conflict and displacement. This is not just a landslide, it is a compounding of trauma upon trauma,” he said. The bishop emphasized that the tragedy highlights Sudan’s vulnerability to environmental disasters, worsened by deforestation, poor infrastructure, and the mounting impacts of climate change. “The Marrah Mountains, while offering refuge, are geologically unstable during heavy rains. What we are witnessing is the intersection of environmental vulnerability, displacement, and neglect.”
He also reflected on the role of the Church in times of crisis. “The Church has always stood with the people not only in spiritual solidarity but in practical action. Even in the most remote and war-torn regions, Church personnel are among the first to respond, bringing food, medical care, shelter, and pastoral support,” Bishop Hiiboro explained. Despite limited access, Church networks are working to raise awareness, organize relief, and advocate for international assistance.
The disaster prompted an outpouring of sympathy and calls for action from global leaders. On September 2, Pope Leo XIV expressed his spiritual solidarity with those affected by the landslide. During his weekly General Audience a day later, the Pope appealed to the international community for urgent humanitarian aid. “Dramatic news is coming from Sudan, in particular from Darfur. In El Fasher, many civilians have been trapped in the city, victims of famine and violence. In Tarasin, a devastating mudslide has claimed many lives, leaving pain and desperation in its wake. And, as if that were not enough, the spread of cholera is threatening hundreds of thousands of already stricken people,” the Pope said. He continued, “I am closer than ever to the Sudanese population, in particular families, children, and the displaced. I pray for all the victims. I make a heartfelt appeal to leaders and the international community to ensure humanitarian corridors and implement a coordinated response to halt this humanitarian catastrophe. It is time to initiate a serious, sincere, and inclusive dialogue between the parties to end the conflict and restore hope, dignity, and peace to the people of Sudan.”
The landslide in Tarasin is not an isolated event. A smaller landslide in the Marrah Mountains in 2018 killed at least 19 people and injured dozens, highlighting the region’s inherent geological risks. Across the globe, landslides have become more frequent and deadly, with recent disasters in South Korea and Ethiopia claiming hundreds of lives. Scientists warn that climate change is increasing the risk of such events, as extreme rainfall becomes more common in vulnerable regions. A recent international study estimated that nearly 13% of the world’s land area is now at very high risk for landslides due to shifting weather patterns.
Sudan, as one of the world’s least developed countries, faces a daunting array of challenges. According to a joint report from the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, “Extreme weather, recurrent floods and droughts, and changing precipitation interact with other vulnerabilities—such as ecosystem degradation, unsustainable agricultural practices, natural resource scarcities and resource-based conflicts—limiting societal capacities to cope and adapt.” The impacts are especially harsh for women, girls, and children, with malnutrition affecting 860,000 children under five in South Sudan and extreme heat worsening food insecurity and health risks.
For the survivors of Tarasin, the future is uncertain. The combined weight of conflict, environmental vulnerability, and neglect has left them in urgent need of help. As Bishop Hiiboro put it, “This should be a wake-up call not just for Sudan, but for the world to address environmental justice and climate resilience as urgent moral imperatives.” For now, the people of Tarasin and the broader Darfur region wait, hoping that the world will not forget their suffering and that help will soon arrive.